


you hit me head-on (got me weak in my knees)

by breakthesewallsdown



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV), wayhaught - Fandom
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fluff, Gus isn't family in this one soz guys, Meet-Cute, No Curse, No Revenants, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, actually everything is AU except Purgatory, au kinda, gay disaster Nicole, gay disaster Waverly, long-haired Nicole bc I miss her, lots of dialogue basically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 21:32:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16292198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breakthesewallsdown/pseuds/breakthesewallsdown
Summary: “I think the world is pretty great,” the other girl says, “It’s got some nice things to offer. I mean, look at the oceans? The mountains? The trees? Even flowers. The animals,” she looks at Waverly then, something sparkly in her gaze, “Girls.”Waverly almost chokes on air, because, is this girlflirtingwith her?orWaverly and Nicole meet in a bookstore. Waverly is clumsy. They're both gay disasters.





	you hit me head-on (got me weak in my knees)

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this at 1AM after watching an LGBT shortfilm on YouTube (it's called Seasons, the channel is called Sapphic Underground, go check it out. It's cute) so this is like kinda based on that. With a twist. when the inspiration strikes, you gotta write, you know? 
> 
> so obviously this is un-beta'd and I didn't really check for any spelling mistakes. so naturally all mistakes are my own and I do not own any of these characters. let it be known.
> 
> • song title from "starving" by Hailee Steinfeld & Grey ft. Zedd.

Waverly has always had a thing for bookstores. She just loves the atmosphere, the people she meets sometimes and of course the books. Waverly has been reading for as long as she can remember. Even when she couldn’t read yet she would grab one of her older sister’s books and just pretend.  
Reading has always been her thing. It doesn’t even matter what it’s about. She would read anything as long as it’s nicely written and she can feel the author’s passion through their words. Given the fact that she can also fluently save herself in four languages it of course broadens her reading options.  
You can find her in the library more often than not. If she doesn’t have work at Shorty’s, you’ll find her there. Purgatory doesn’t have a lot of bookstores, sadly, but their library is big and beautiful and also recently renovated. Waverly loves spending time there. There’s also a piano you can play on and you can even just relax and listen to some vinyl’s if you want to. It’s probably one of her favorite places in town.  
Her all-time favorite place is the little bookstore they _do_ have, across from Shorty’s. It’s very lowkey and not big at all, so not a lot of people know about it, even though it’s on main street. You could say it’s a little hidden away. Waverly only discovered it a few months ago when she was mindlessly strolling around after a fight with Wynonna.  
She’d only recently gotten back after going M.I.A. for three years, so things between them weren’t as good as they used to be. Waverly could hold a grudge if she wanted to. But she’s glad she found the bookstore. It’s cosy and there’s a small corner where you can sit and read. They even offer free tea and coffee between 11 AM and 4 PM. It’s safe to say Waverly feels at home whenever she enters the bookstore. 

The woman who owns it, Gus, has taken a great liking to Waverly. Which, in all honesty, surprises nobody, because Waverly truly is the apple of Purgatory’s eye. She always has been and after Wynonna left she learned how to live with it. She kinda liked it, even. To not live in her sister’s shadow for once. 

Gus always gives her something to drink – no matter when she’s coming into the shop – and lets her read as many books as she wants. Sometimes she even lets Waverly borrow them, if she promises to bring them back the same week and unharmed. Which she does, of course. 

So naturally Waverly finds herself in the bookstore again today. 

It’s a random Tuesday afternoon and Waverly just got off her shift. Not wanting to go home, Waverly decided to spend some time in the bookstore first, maybe read a little, before heading home to have a good chat with her sister. She just has to find the courage to do so first. 

Gus greets her with a warm smile and the question if she wants some tea. Waverly nods, smiles back at the older woman. Waverly’s finger absentmindedly traces the books as she looks at them, deciding on what to read this time. She grabs a book about U.F.O’s before going on with her journey. There’s so many books she’d like to read, so many things she’d like to learn, but she’ll never have the time. It makes her sad in a way. There’s so many things she’ll never know anything about. 

Waverly stops in her tracks as her eyes catch on auburn, almost red, curls hidden underneath a black beanie. Said curls belong to, probably, the prettiest girl Waverly has ever seen. She wants to take another step forward, feeling glad that the other girl hasn’t caught her staring, but her foot falters and her hands twitch and then her book tumbles to the floor. Waverly cringes as the redhead quickly meets her gaze. Crap. 

There’s a soft smile on the other girl’s face as Waverly goes to pick up her book, almost hitting her head on a table to her left. God, she wishes she wasn’t this clumsy around pretty girls. When she gets back to her feet and the girl is still looking at her, Waverly smiles awkwardly. 

“Sorry,” she mutters, clutching the book to her chest. “I’m clumsy,” 

The girl’s smile widens and she drops her hand from where she was about to grab a book, turning towards Waverly slightly, but not completely, “That’s alright. It happens sometimes.” 

Waverly scoffs, “It happens _a lot_. To me, I mean.” 

“I get it,” 

“Yeah,” Waverly says then, confidence wavering as the girl keeps looking at her, “I—Uh, I like your hair, by the way,” 

She chuckles softly, her fingers automatically reaching to tug at her beanie, “Thank you. I, uh, grew it myself?” 

Waverly can’t help but laugh, crinkles appearing around her eyes, only slightly embarrassed. “Yeah. Of course.” 

The other girl’s smile softens as she averts her gaze for a second, before looking back up at Waverly. It makes something flutter in her stomach and her hand mindlessly goes to rest on it, as if that’ll make it go away. The redhead’s gaze drops to her hand on her stomach, then rises to the book she’s holding. 

“What are you reading?” 

“Uh,” Waverly holds out the book, “I—I haven’t started it yet. But it’s about U.F.O’s.” 

“Cool,” the girl actually sounds interested, “Is that something you study, or?” 

Waverly shakes her head, “No. I graduated last year. I just like learning about new things.” 

“That’s amazing. Really.” 

“What about you?” Waverly asks. “Do you still go to school?” 

“No. I just got back from traveling, actually.” 

Waverly’s eyes widen, the book in her hands long forgotten, “Where did you go?” 

The girl’s smile widens, “Australia.” 

“Oh my God,” Waverly exclaims, “I want to go there so badly. Did you meet any kangaroos? Or big spiders?” 

She laughs again, and it sounds heavenly to Waverly’s ears, “I did see some kangaroos, yes. And spiders, too, of course. I didn’t get bitten, though. Luckily.” 

“Luckily,” Waverly echoes, “By the way, did you know that all spiders are poisonous, just not all species are deadly to humans?” 

“I did not know that, no. That’s interesting.” 

Waverly shrugs lamely. “It’s just one of those useless facts I know. I mean, useless instead you wanna get bit by a spider and become a superhero. You know. Like Spider-Man.” 

“I don’t think that’s how the world works,” the redhead says with a small smirk. 

“Because the world sucks balls.”

Another laugh rolls off the girl’s lips and Waverly decides then and there that she wants to make this girl laugh way more often. Which scares her, because she’s barely been talking to this girl for ten minutes and she’s basically ready to U-Haul. 

“I think the world is pretty great,” the other girl says, “It’s got some nice things to offer. I mean, look at the oceans? The mountains? The trees? Even flowers. The animals,” she looks at Waverly then, something sparkly in her gaze, “Girls.” 

Waverly almost chokes on air, because, is this girl _flirting_ with her? Waverly notices how the other girl looks down again, this time not immediately looking back up to meet her gaze. Meanwhile she’s just standing there, not doing anything. She feels like an idiot. _Come on, Earp_.

“Oh,” she breathes out, then. “ _Oh_. Well. I mean, if you look at it that way, I guess you’re right.” 

They lock eyes again and Waverly notices her palms are sweaty and she’s been gripping this book so hard her knuckles have probably turned white. She has no idea why she’s so nervous, so she might as well give herself a reason to be. 

“This is, uh,” she starts, biting her lip, “this is probably too forward, since I haven’t even introduced myself properly and all that, but I—uh, would you maybe want to get a coffee with me? I mean, doesn’t have to be now. Maybe later. Or tomorrow. Or, you know, _not_. If you don’t want that. I’m sorry. I’m rambling. I should stop talking.” 

The other girl now completely turns towards Waverly, smiling gently, “I would love that.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” She says. “I’m Nicole, by the way.” 

_Nicole_. Feels great to put a name to the face. Waverly smiles at her. 

“I’m Waverly. Waverly Earp.”

 

•

 

They get a coffee to go at their local coffee shop, the soft October air tickling Waverly’s cheeks as they sit on a bench in the park. They’re sitting close enough to each other that they could touch if they wanted to, their thighs only a few inches apart. Waverly feels like she’s on fire either way. 

So far she’s discovered that Nicole is about four years older than her, she has two younger siblings and she came out as a lesbian when she was thirteen years old. And that she takes her coffee with soy milk, which makes Waverly very happy. Nicole also told her that she likes to travel a lot and so far she’s been to Mexico, California, Florida and Scandinavia and Italy in Europe. Plus she’s been on a road trip through Canada. But she always finds herself coming back to Purgatory.

“I love this town,” Nicole says softly after sipping her coffee. “There’s something about this place that keeps pulling me back.” 

Waverly frowns. “Like what?” 

“I don’t know. I just have this feeling that there’s something here for me, you know what I mean? Like I’ve got something waiting here. Something that will make me want to stay.” 

“You really have that feeling?” Waverly asks, turning her head to look at Nicole, taking note of the small blush on her cheeks. She’s not sure if it’s because of the cold or because of her admission.

Nicole shrugs her shoulder lamely, “I mean. Yeah. Kind of.”

“I wish I had that.” Waverly admits, “Purgatory just seems kind of dead to me, sometimes.” 

“Why?” 

“There’s always the same people. Nothing ever happens. Not really. It’s always the same people causing drama. I just kinda feel like I’m stuck here. Sometimes I wish I could leave.” 

Nicole smiles at her, “I know what you mean. It’s funny, actually. I’m looking for a reason to stay and you want to get out of here.”

A small chuckle escapes Waverly’s lips. She can feel her cheeks reddening under Nicole’s gaze, so she quickly looks away and takes another sip of her coffee. It gives her something to do. 

“Good thing it’s not actually dead, though,” Nicole says, then, “Or full of death. I mean, can you imagine The Walking Dead being real? It’d be full of zombies here.” 

Waverly can’t help the disgust showing on her face, but she doesn’t mind when Nicole just laughs, her head falling back just slightly. Waverly takes those few seconds to admire Nicole’s face and her smile. The dimple in her cheek. She’s so beautiful Waverly might actually combust. 

“I feel like you wouldn’t do great with zombies,” Nicole says then, after getting herself together. 

“Excuse me?” Waverly says, mocking offense, “I’d be amazing. I would kick all their asses for you.” 

“Really?” 

Waverly nods. “I take self-defence classes.” 

Nicole chuckles, shakes her head, “I don’t believe you for a second.” 

“Fine,” Waverly mutters, rolling her eyes playfully, “that was a lie. But,” she flexes her arms, “I do have _these_ guns working for me.” 

Nicole exclaims a soft _oh my God_ before she bursts out laughing, bumping into Waverly as she does. Waverly just enjoys the feeling of Nicole’s shoulder pressing into hers, closes her eyes and smiles to herself. When she opens her eyes again, Nicole is looking at her. 

“You’re unbelievable.” 

Waverly just smiles shyly, her eyes trained on her coffee that’s slowly going cold. She sips it quickly. 

“So, uh,” Nicole starts, her bravado from earlier suddenly gone, “does your boyfriend also take an interest in U.F.O’s? Or zombies?” 

Waverly’s eyes widen and she almost immediately spits out her coffee. _Oh_. So they’re having this conversation. She straightens her shoulders a little bit and tells herself to look at the girl next to her. 

“I don’t have a boyfriend, actually,” Waverly admits quietly, and then quickly adds, “or a girlfriend. I don’t.” 

Nicole nods, that same blush from earlier reappearing. She bites her lip, doing the same thing where she looks down for a second before looking back up at Waverly. It makes Waverly incredibly nervous. 

“Do you—I mean, are you seeing anyone?” 

Nicole looks out in front of her, her finger toying with the lid of her cup, “No. I’ve been single for a while actually.” 

“What?” Waverly asks, almost immediately regretting the little outburst, “I mean, you’re – It just surprises me. That you’re single, I mean. Because you’re pretty. And nice to talk to. And, you know, nice.”

“Thank you,” Nicole says, voice suddenly gone soft, “I think you’re pretty nice, too. And all those other things. Those too.”

Waverly shakes her head, trying to get rid of the upcoming blush that’s grazing her cheeks, “I wish more girls would like _pretty nice_.” 

“What? They don’t?” 

“Nope.” 

Nicole’s jaw drops slightly, “That’s insane. They don’t know what they’re missing.” 

Not sure what that means, Waverly just looks at Nicole, eyes searching her face for something that will tell her that Nicole isn’t messing around with her, or playing some stupid game. Nicole seems to pick up on it, because she bumps their shoulders together again and laughs softly. 

“For the record,” she says then, “ _I_ like pretty nice.” 

They share a shy smile, before Nicole turns her head to smile down at her lap. Waverly follows suit and before they know it they’re both silently laughing, seated next to each other, while their coffees have gone cold. Waverly doesn’t mind. All she cares about right now is this girl sitting next to her. This girl who seems to be interested in her and who doesn’t get scared away by all the random facts she knows, or the stupid things she talks about. 

“So, uh,” Nicole says after a few moments of comfortable silence, “what does a girl have to do to see you again?” 

Waverly grins cheekily, fishing her phone out of her pocket, “Give me her number. Preferably.” 

Nicole takes Waverly’s phone from her and quickly types in her name and number, handing it back to her carefully. Their fingers brush together as Waverly takes her phone back, their eyes meeting on impact. Waverly’s stomach flutters again at the look in Nicole’s eyes. 

She quickly shoves her phone back in her pocket. 

“I should get going.” She says then, frowning sadly, “Not that I _want_ to. But my sister and I are fighting, I guess, and I need to go and sort that out. I wasn’t meant to be out this long.” 

A look of guilt flashes over Nicole’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you.” 

Waverly shakes her head, hand reaching out to touch Nicole’s arm, “No! No. You didn’t. I mean, I asked _you_ out, didn’t I?” 

Nicole nods gently, but then she blinks and there’s this playful look in her eyes that makes Waverly’s body tingle. “You asked me out, huh? So, does this mean this is a date, then?” 

“Uh.” Waverly’s eyes widen, her hands doing that thing again where they twitch, making her drop her coffee onto the floor. She watches how it spills over the sidewalk. Amazing. Just great. 

“Oh, shit,” Nicole mutters, “I’m sorry.”

“No, no,” Waverly reassures her, reaching for the empty cup and putting the lid back on. She puts the cup on the bench next to her. “It’s alright. I just—You make me nervous. So I’m, like, extra clumsy.” 

“I make you nervous?” 

Waverly wants to bash her head against this bench, because holy crapcakes, she is just making a fool out of herself over here. She sighs, runs her hand over her face. It’s only when Nicole reaches for said hand and wraps her fingers around Waverly’s wrist that the younger girl looks at her again, her lower lip worried between her teeth. Nicole just smiles. 

“You make me nervous, too.” Nicole admits, her thumb rubbing soft circles on Waverly’s skin, “It doesn’t have to be a date, you know. I was just messing with you.”

Waverly shakes her head. “I want it to be, though. A date, I mean. If that’s okay.” 

Nicole seems to be a little taken aback at that, because her thumb stills and her grip tightens just a little. But then she relaxes and she goes back to rubbing small patterns on Waverly’s wrist. She sighs in relief. 

“Okay. Good.” 

“Good.” 

“So.” Waverly says, gathering all her courage, “If this was a date. Does that mean we can do this again?” 

Nicole grins. “Are you asking me on a second date?” 

“I, uh—I guess. Yes. I am.” 

The smile on Nicole’s face just grows, her hand now slowly but surely slipping into Waverly’s. Waverly isn’t sure how she’s supposed to do this or at what pace they’re going to move, but she thinks she’s okay with holding Nicole’s hand. It’s a first date after all. 

“So?” She asks, then, after realizing Nicole hasn’t given her an answer. 

“Of course,” Nicole says, “Yes. We can do this again.” 

Waverly nods, lacing her fingers with Nicole and squeezing softly, silently telling her that this is okay and that she likes it. She smiles when Nicole squeezes back. 

“My car is parked over there,” she nods her head towards the parking lot on the East side of Main Street. 

Nicole gets on her feet, not letting go of Waverly’s hand, while still holding the coffee cup with her other. “I’ll walk you.” 

Waverly’s heart skips in her chest at the way Nicole is looking down at her, their hands softly intertwined mid-air. She gets on her feet, blushing at their proximity. She could just stretch onto the tips of her toes and she’d be able to kiss her. She takes a step back at the realization that she _wants_ to kiss Nicole. 

But she doesn’t let go of her hand. 

Grabbing her own coffee cup that’s still on the bench, Waverly leads them towards a bin to throw their cups in. Nicole laughs softly as Waverly’s cup almost gets thrown next to it, but when Waverly bumps into her playfully she’s quickly cut off. Their eyes meet again and Nicole quickly winks at her, making butterflies erupt in Waverly’s stomach.

Waverly leads them towards her Jeep, swinging their hands between their bodies. It’s only a short few-minutes’ walk, but she wishes it’d never end. Nicole seems to think the same thing, because she slows her pace and chuckles. 

“I kinda don’t want to say goodbye.” 

Waverly looks at her, smiling, “Me neither. But I’ll text you.”

“And I’ll text you back.” 

“You better.” she says, laughing. And then, “Are you going anywhere anytime soon?” 

Nicole shakes her head. “I don’t have anything planned. Strangely enough.” 

They reach Waverly’s Jeep and she turns back towards Nicole. “Lucky me.” 

They stare at each other for a second, fingers intertwined and eyes locked. Waverly doesn’t know how she got lucky enough to meet this beautiful stranger, in her favorite bookstore of all places, but she’s not about to take it for granted. She looks up at Nicole shyly. 

“I’ll see you soon?” 

Nicole nods. Her eyes glance down towards Waverly’s lips as she quickly wets her own. But then she takes a small step back, dropping Waverly’s hand in the process. Ever the gentlewoman. 

“I’ll see you soon.” Nicole confirms, smiling at her. 

Now it’s Waverly’s time to look down at Nicole’s lips. God, she has the prettiest smile ever. Nicole laughs, then, probably having noticed where Waverly’s gaze had wandered, but she doesn’t comment on it. They just look at each other again, some unspoken conversation going on in their eyes. 

“Okay.” Nicole says, now taking several steps back. “Text me.”

“As soon as I get home,” Waverly promises. 

With another small nod, Nicole spins around and starts walking back towards the park. Waverly watches as she adjusts her beanie on her head, before her hands cup her cheeks and she seems to be shaking her head. Waverly smiles at the sight of it, silently appreciating the fact that Nicole walked her to her car, while she actually had to go the other way. 

She leans back against her car, eyes closed for a moment as she lets it all sink in. It’s crazy, this thing between them. Waverly has never felt this sort of connection with anyone before. She knows it should scare her, probably, but actually just being around Nicole makes her feel safe and makes her feel at ease. She’s not sure what it all means, but she can’t wait to find out. 

Because for some reason this wonderful person likes her enough to want to see her again and for some reason this wonderful person wants to go on dates with her. So Waverly would be stupid to let this go. 

She gets pulled out of her thoughts by quick footsteps heading her way. Opening her eyes, she’s surprised to see Nicole walking up to her, determined look on her face. It’s only when she’s getting closer that Waverly realizes Nicole’s eyes are firmly fixated on her lips. She has that same look in her eyes that made her body tingle earlier. 

Waverly doesn’t even have to ask. She knows what’s coming. So when Nicole looks up into her eyes, wordlessly asking _is this okay_ , all Waverly can do is nod. 

It only takes Nicole three seconds to softly press Waverly against her car, her hands comfortingly cupping her cheeks as she kisses her. Waverly’s hands immediately reach for Nicole’s hoodie, her fingers twisting into the fabric as she pulls her closer. She feels like she might be floating. 

Nicole presses in closer and Waverly completely melts into her, arms now circling around Nicole’s waist as the redhead lets one of her hands drop from Waverly’s cheek to her neck, her other hand still softly on her face. She pulls back with a sigh, forehead resting against Waverly’s, eyes closed. Waverly just breathes her in, tightening her arms around Nicole’s waist, not wanting her to go. But then Nicole pulls back and looks at her, that same damn smile on her face. 

“I just had to do that.” 

Waverly nods, grinning, “I’m glad you did.” 

Nicole matches her grin, runs the hand that was still on Waverly’s cheek now through Waverly’s hair. Then she leans back in to kiss her softly, quickly, before stepping back with a sheepish smile. 

“Text me.” 

Waverly just has the chance to nod, before Nicole hurries off, leaving Waverly with a smile on her face and a stomach full of butterflies. This girl is going to be the end of her.


End file.
